The Road to Emmaus

Welcome to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. Our journey through Holy Week ends today with Easter Monday.

During this last week, we have presented a special set of podcasts that have traced the events of Holy Week. Our journey ends today with Easter Monday and the story of a post-resurrection appearance of Christ. Thank you for joining us.

The 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke describes a mysterious journey on the day of Jesus' resurrection. The story begins in verse 13.

Luke 24:13-16, 30-32

"That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma′us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened."

Cleopas and his friend were believers. They saw Jesus's actions, heard his words, and felt firsthand Jesus's love for them and for all the people he encountered. Surely, this was the Messiah. Surely, he was the one who would redeem Israel from Roman oppression. He had to be the one - how could he not be?

But a week after Jesus came to Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the cheers of the crowd, and three days after they watched Jesus die, they were headed for home, dejected, weary, and heartbroken. Jesus of Nazareth wasn't the Messiah. He was just another false prophet. It was time to get back to the real world and start over.

They discussed the events while they were walking.

Luke continues in verse 15:

"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him."

They just wanted to get home, but this stranger who joined them would not stop talking. They weren't sure where this guy came from, but he seemed oblivious to the past few days' events. How could he not have heard about all this? Nevertheless, they told the stranger about Jesus, his trial, and his execution.

But rather than just listening, the stranger talked back. He called them foolish and began to tell them about Moses and the prophets, quoting from the Holy Scriptures. Who was this man?

The more the man talked, the more interested they became. He explained to them that all of Israel's history and all the scriptures pointed to a Messiah and that the Messiah had to die just the way Jesus died. They started to understand. Could they be wrong? Was Jesus the Messiah?

Before they knew it, they were home. The stranger turned to the road to continue on his way, but they urged him to come home with them. They wanted to hear more. They asked the stranger to stay for dinner, and he accepted.

Verse 30:

"When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?'"

The stranger was a very much alive Jesus, and he had given them the best bible lesson in history. He explained to them the truth of the Messiah and showed them that he was the deliverer of not only Israel but the world.

The story ends with the two men "rushing" the seven miles back to Jerusalem and seeking out the eleven apostles to tell them what happened to them.

This scripture passage is an account of one of the many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. It is fascinating and mysterious, and for me, it raises many questions. The most important question is how this applies to us today.

These two men were headed for home in Emmaus. Emmaus was a retreat from their disappointment and heartbreak. They felt like Jesus had let them down when, in fact, they misunderstood his life and his mission.

We all have an Emmaus—a place where we go when life gets hard or we are hurting. Maybe we are frustrated or disappointed that God did not act as we expected or when we expected. Maybe we think God didn't answer our prayers. Maybe we feel like God doesn't really know us or love us and that all this God stuff we hear is untrue. It is there - in our personal Emmaus - that Jesus meets us. Even when we don't seek him, he finds us, and it is possible that we don't recognize him when he does. Maybe our doubt and fear are just misunderstanding.

When he finds us, he will not force himself on us. He patiently waits for us to invite him into our lives and situations. When we do, we should not expect Jesus to show himself through a miracle or other supernatural occurrence. He revealed himself to the two men through the scriptures, and that is a great place to look.

Jesus opens our eyes and reveals himself to us; when he does, it is exciting. Once you have experienced the real Jesus, you cannot get enough; nothing short of that will do. It compels us to act and to share.

Today is the day after Easter. Yesterday, we celebrated the most significant event in history. God made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through Jesus's death and resurrection. And because we have a relationship with Him, He seeks us out and meets us wherever we are. If we invite him into our lives, He will come in. He reveals Himself to us; we will never be the same again when He does.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the gift of a relationship with you. Thank you for never giving up on us, meeting us where we are, and revealing yourself to us. May we always welcome you and reflect your love with those you love. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.